Wax-based formulations have long been known to the expert and are used inter alia for cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations, such as suppositories for example, various cosmetic compositions in stick form or in creams and lotions, for coating papers and textiles, etc. Numerous wax-like substances and mixtures of such substances are available to the expert for this purpose. These include, for example, glycerides and fatty alcohols which have a critical effect on the sensory profile of the final formulations. Thus, glycerides leave the skin with an often oily/greasy feeling. Fatty alcohols lead to the formation of white residues which users find to be a major disadvantage. Silicone oils are often added to counteract formation of the white residues. Silicone oils are also used to reduce the tackiness of the formulations and to improve their smooth, velvety feeling on the skin. Unfortunately, some silicone oils have toxicological and ecological disadvantages. Because of this, silicone oil substitutes have been sought for some time.
The problem addressed by the present invention was to provide wax-like substances and compositions based on those substances which would afford additional sensory advantages—usually achieved by silicone oils—over the waxes normally used. Such waxes would enable cosmetic preparations free from silicone oils to be formulated without losing the typical sensory profile unique to silicone oils.
It has now surprisingly been found that these properties can be achieved by special waxes based on pentaerythritol or oligomers thereof which are produced from vegetable rather than animal raw material sources.
Pentaerythritol esters have long been on the market and are used inter alia as emulsifiers in the food industry. These esters emanate from animal raw material sources. The product marketed by Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG under the name of Loxiol® P 728 is mentioned purely by way of example in this regard. It contains ca. 2% by weight C17 fatty acids and has a C16/C18 distribution of ca. 30:70 and thus corresponds to other commercially available products. Unfortunately, wax esters such as these are not entirely satisfactory in regard to stability, viscosity, macroscopic/microscopic appearance or in regard to the sensory profile of the cosmetic compositions produced with them.